You definite articles and undefined of the Portuguese language (o, a, os, as, um, um, um, um), in english language are represented by only three articles: The, an and the and are always used in front of a noun.
Defined Articles
The defined articles (definite articles, in English) are used whenever we refer to something specific or that has already been mentioned in a previous speech.
In the English language, there is only one definite article, O the, which in addition to being used in front of singular nouns, is the only one that can be used in front of plural nouns.
In Portuguese, he is translated per O, The, you and at.
The car is new. (The car is new.)
It is assumed that the recipient of the message already knows which car you are talking about. It is implied that they have talked about this car before.
The postcards arrived today. (The postcards arrived today.)
Implicit in this sentence is the idea that whoever receives this message knows which postcards they are talking about. Furthermore, the fact that the word
postcards (postcards) being in the plural, only allows the use of the definite article the.The backpack is blue. (The backpack is blue.)
The color (blue) specifies the noun (backpack), that is, it is not just any backpack, but the blue backpack. Also implicit here is the idea that this backpack has been mentioned before and for this reason, the message recipient knows which backpack is being talked about.
Sue is drinking an orange juice. The orange juice is cold. (Sue is drinking some orange juice. The orange juice is cold.)
In this case, the idea that the noun (orange juice) was mentioned before, and for this reason, it is already known which orange juice is cold: the orange juice Sue is drinking, not just any juice.
The girls are playing. (The girls are playing.)
The phrase refers to a specific group of girls, which has probably been mentioned before, who are playing and, furthermore, the fact that the word girls being in the plural, only allows the use of the definite article the.
Other uses
The definite article the should also be used when referring to:
Nouns unique in their kind
You should use a sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun. (You should use a sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun.)
That astronaut flew to the moon. (That astronaut flew to the moon.)
geographic names
He has already been to theNorth Pole. (He has been to the North Pole.)
Plural adjectives that take on the noun function
The powerful control the business. (The powerful control the business.)
Compound names of countries that are already part of the the in your name
The United States of America. (The USA).
Family names
The Jacksons are the famous family. (The Jacksons are a famous family).
Musical instruments
i like to play the piano. (I like playing the piano.)
Musical Rhythms and Dances
Carlinhos de Jesus knows how to dance the samba. (Carlinhos de Jesus knows how to dance the samba.)
ordinal numerals
this is the first team I visit the zoo. (This is my first time visiting the zoo.)
when not to use
The definite article the should not be used when the main idea of the sentence refers to:
names of people
Paula is my sister. (Paula is my sister)
place names
River is a beautiful city. (Rio is a beautiful city.)
languages
italian is an interesting language. (Italian is an interesting language.)
sports
volleyball is very popular in Brazil. (Volleyball is very popular in Brazil.)
Subjects
math is very difficult for me. (Math is hard for me.)
Possessive pronouns
my father is retired. (My father is retired.)
Plural nouns used in a general sense
Brazilians like soccer. (Brazilians like football.)
Days of the week
sunday is always a boring day. (Sunday is always a boring day.)
Colors
my favorite color is blue. (My favorite color is blue.)
Positions accompanied by a proper name
President Kennedy was murdered in 1963. (President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963)
expressions of time with last and next.
I called him last week. (I called him last week.)
Next Saturday I'm going to the beach. (Next Saturday I go to the beach.)
Indefinite Articles
You indefinite articles (indefinite articles, in English) are used when referring to something in general, not specified.
In the English language there are two undefined articles, The and an, and they can only be used in front of singular nouns. In Portuguese, they are translated per a and one.
the indefinite articleThe it is used in front of nouns whose spelling starts with a consonant or a consonant sound.
Words whose initial vowel sounds like a consonant in English usually start with “u”, “ew” and “eu” and have the sound of the consonant y, or start with “one” and have the sound of the consonant w.
- this is The dictionary. (This is a dictionary.)
- that's The university. (That is a university.)
- I have The ewe on my farm. (I have a sheep on my farm.)
- THE European Journal. (A European newspaper.)
- THE one-story house. (A one-story house.)
the indefinite article an it is used in front of nouns whose spelling starts with a vowel or a vowel sound.
Words whose initial consonant has, in English, a vowel sound, usually start with a mute “h”, that is, not pronounced.
- he is eating an apple. (He is eating an apple.)
- she arrived an hour ago. (She arrived an hour ago.)
Other uses
the indefinite articles The and an should also be used when the main idea of the sentence refers to:
professions
he is The veterinarian. (He is a veterinarian.)
Countable nouns
I bought The skirt. (I bought a skirt.)
when not to use
the indefinite articles The and an should not be used when the main idea of the sentence refers to:
countless nouns
In this case, the word disappear:
I need disappear advice. (I need an advice.)
Video
Watch the video below and learn more about the use of definite and indefinite articles in English.
Exercises
Do definite and indefinite article exercises in English with feedback.
1. (UNIFOR CE/2006)
Cooking Kitties
Maryann Mott
Feline asthma [TO BE] a new disease. It was first described in scientific literature more than 90 years ago, says veterinarian Philip Padrid of the Family Pet Animal Hospital in Chicago.
Nicki Reed, a veterinarian at the University of Edinburgh's Hospital for Small Animals, says that when a coughing cat is brought to the clinic, she must first establish if [ARTICLE] cause is [ARTICLE] infection, asthma, or something more sinister, like a lung mass.
To do this, Reed usually performs an x-ray, takes a lung fluid sample, and conducts a bronchcoscopy _ an examination that uses a flexible microscope inserted into the cat's airway.
Most of the time, asthma is a mild disease, Reed says. But in some cases cat’s lungs collapse or their ribs fracture due to difficulty in breathing.
“I think if we can identify asthmatic cats quite early and get treatments on board to suppress their cough, then hopefully we can avoid them coming to such extremes,” she said.
(Adapted from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1025_051025_cat_asthma.html)
In she must first establish if [ARTICLE] cause is [ARTICLE] infection…, the correct forms of the articles are, respectively, respectively
a) the _ an.
b) the _ the.
c) a_the.
d) to _ an.
e) a _ a.
Correct alternative: a) the _ an.
2. (UFMA/2006)
DISCOVERING NEW YORK
This month TRAVEL magazine will take you to _____ unforgettable journey through _____ most charming and posh places of _____ city claimed to be _____ capital of _____world, New York City.
The Island of Manhattan, One of the Five Districts of New York, is the richest, most urban and most filled with attractions. The largest green area of the Manhattan Island, with 340 hectares of woods, grass and lakes, Central Park is one of the great surprises in the city.
Fifth Avenue, one of the most famous addresses in the world, marks the middle of the city, like Greenwich Meridian, in London, marks the middle of the Earth. Some of the most expensive and luxurious stores are located there, just like some of the best museums.
A present from the French government to the United States in 1866, The Statue of Liberty is one of the most visited spots in New York. It is not located in Manhattan, but rather in Liberty Island, the small island between Wall Street and Staten Island.
The missing articles in the first paragraph are respectively:
a) a – the – a – the – a.
b) the – a – a – the – the.
c) a – an – the – a – the.
d) an – the – a – the – a.
e) an – the – a – the – the.
Correct alternative: e) an – the – a – the – the.
3. (URCA EC/2008)
Survival of the cutest
Thousands of creatures will disappear if we only focus on the most fascinating species.
The struggle to preserve the world's biodiversity is being compromised by fatal flaws in the way conservations draw up their lists of endangered species. An Australian botanist warms that the lists reflect the plants and animals that scientists are most interested in studying, rather than the most threatned species or those at risk of extinction. For instance, says Mark Burgman of the University of Melbourne, lists compiled and used by organizations such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the Secretariat to the CITES agreement are heavily biased toward birds, mammals and flowering plants, to the detriment of less charismatic species such as insects and fungi. If no one tackles the problem, Burgman believes we will unwittingly focus our conservation efforts in the wrong places, and fail to stop the biggest mass extinction since dinosaurs. Rare species lists contain fewer threatened insects than birds, although we know of a million insect species and nearly fewer than 10,000 birds. That’s because most insects are poorly studied, says Burgman. For most, all that we have a specimen in a museum and a formal brief description, he says. Generally, little or nothing is known about their habitat and abundance, and no one may have looked for them since their discovery. “We assume all's well because we don't have any evidence, and we don't have evidence because we haven't looked”, Burgman says. Georgina Mace, director of science at the Zoological Society of London and chair of the Species Survival Committee, thinks Burgman has identified real problems. Yet she says that groups like the IUCN are addressing them. Starting with amphibians, it has begun assessing the global health of whole groups of related animals, species by species. Putting a species on the Red List is like assessing people coming into a hospital emergency room, she says. It's not a robust prediction of what will happen, but it's a quick way to pick out the sickest. But Burgman says that the criteria for assessing whether the species will go extinct vary from country to country and from study to study. He has compared a range of studies and found that different methods produce very inconsistent results. He says conservation scientists ―need to get our act together‖ and develop a uniform set of tools that everyone can test and agree upon. Even ―extinction‖ can be hard to define, he points out. A surprising number of species has been declared extinct, only to resurface later after people had given up looking for them.
(Jeff Hecht in New Scientists, Jan, 2002, p.5)
VOCABULARY:
Struggle – effort; fight Flaw – fault; error
Draw up – compose; design
Threatened – at risk, endangered
Biased – inclined; to be on a certain preference
Tackle (v) - confront, attack
Unwittingly – unintentionally
Brief – short
Pick out (v) - select, choose
Range - variety
Tool - instrument
Resurface (v) - reappear
Choose the correct answer to complete the sentence:
Carol is _________ an economist. She used to work in _________ investment department of Loyds bank. Now she works for ______ American bank in ________ United States.
a) a - an - the - the
b) an - a - an - Ø
c) a - an - an - Ø
d) an - the - an - the
e) an - the - Ø - the
Correct alternative: d) an – the – an – the
4. (EEAR/2007)
a) The old man is arriving right now.
b) The spring is the season of flowers.
c) The Brazilians are very friendly.
d) The New York is a very beautiful city.
Correct alternative: a) The old man is arriving right now.
5. (PUC-PR/1996) Fill in the blanks of the following sentence with the definite article:
__________ Brazil is __________ most industrial country in __________ South America, while __________ United States holds __________ same position in _______ North America.
a) the; *; *; *; the; the
B) *; the; *; the; the; *
ç) *; the; the; *; the; *
d) the; the; the; the; the; the
and) *; the; the; the; the; *
Correct alternative: b) *; the; *; the; the; *
know more:
- The 10 most used conjunctions in English
- Past Continuous exercises with commented feedback
- add and any
- English prepositions
- adverbs in english
- Adjectives in English
- Phrasal verbs
